Chapter 139: Home (VII)

It appeared suddenly.

Without any warning, a black mass of energy plummeted from the sky.

Boom!

The explosion shook the very foundations of the earth.

Monsters in the vicinity of the impact were shredded into pieces, scattering across the land.

Creeee.

Skree?

Startled by this unexpected turn of events, the monsters fell into disarray.

In the midst of their confusion, the black mass dissipated.

As the inky darkness receded, a tall figure materialized in its place.

At that moment, Louis recognized him.

Though he stood with his back turned, there was no mistaking that familiar silhouette.

The tall man slowly rotated around.

He began to walk towards Louis.

Thud-thud.

Even the monsters, usually controlled by the man’s energy, were overwhelmed and hesitated to attack him recklessly.

The man calmly approached Louis, knelt down, and gently embraced him—as if afraid he might break if held too tightly.

“Oh, my boy… I was so worried.” His smooth, low voice resonated through Louis’s chest, stirring up mixed emotions within him as he softly responded:

“Dad…?”

Recognizing his son’s voice, Genelocer quietly patted Louis on the back—a simple gesture that seemed to say I know you’ve suffered much, but it’s all right now. It wasn’t much, but Louis felt all his anxiety and worries lighten at once.

Monsters surrounded them, their bodies littering the ground.

The tender reunion between father and son was such a stark contrast to their surroundings that it seemed completely out of place, yet no one dared to comment or interfere.

After stroking Louis’s back for some time, Genelocer straightened up. He smiled warmly as he gently caressed his son’s head.

“I’ll take care of everything from here on out.”

For someone who had always hated being coddled, Louis found this gesture incredibly comforting today. With a big grin, he nodded vigorously.

“Yes!”

As soon as Genelocer heard his response, he turned away once again, and his expression shifted dramatically. The warm affection he’d shown toward his son vanished in an instant, replaced by rage hotter than hell itself and malice colder than the North Sea.

“…a lowly creature like you.”

Each word that flowed from Genelocer’s mouth was imbued with a powerful killing intent, sweeping over the monsters. This energy penetrated their minds, stimulating an irresistible sense of fear.

Keieeeek?!

Graaaah!

The unknown monster’s mastery over its minions was absolute. Even as it exerted control over them effortlessly, Genelocer’s aura overwhelmed them, awakening in them a primal survival instinct.

Louis couldn’t help but marvel at the cacophony of chaotic screams emanating from the monster horde.

“This is true… Dragon Blood.”

Not the clumsy imitation he and his twin had attempted, but the genuine Dragon Blood of a fully realized dragon. It was an innate ability to subjugate all living beings through sheer murderous intent alone. The authority it conferred allowed one entity to crush tens, hundreds, or even millions of others beneath its heel.

Such a sight was far too much for these lowly monsters to bear.

Thud.

With each step Genelocer took forward, the monster horde retreated. The weaker ones coughed up blood and perished on the spot, their numbers dwindling as he advanced.

Thud.

As Genelocer took another stride, a colossal figure appeared before him—a massive dragon over thirty meters long, its body pitch-black against the abyssal darkness. Its eyes glared with murderous intent straight ahead.

The cavernous depths reverberated with this proclamation. Then, Genelocer opened his jaws, and black particles began to gather at the tip of his tongue.

Louis’s eyes widened at the sight, and excitement surged within him.

“That is…?!”

Though he had never laid eyes on it before, how could Louis possibly mistake that signature move?

Even a hatchling with dragon blood could mimic this ability clumsily, but what Genelocer was about to unleash belonged solely to fully grown castle dragons.

It was as legendary and renowned as they come!

The ultimate attack of dragons, usable only in Dragonification form:

“Dragon Breath!”

At Louis’s cry, the black energy gathered at Genelocer’s mouth erupted forth. The destructive force spewing from his jaws quickly engulfed everything around him like a tidal wave.

Crackle-crackle!

Everything touched by the dark energy twisted horribly and exploded. It was a breath that wrought nothing but destruction.

Many monsters had already perished, but Genelocer didn’t stop there. Suddenly halting his breath, he became enveloped in Darkness.

His body seemed to be engulfed by black flames or rather, he had become one with them. Then Genelocer’s physical form scattered into nothingness.

The phenomenon that occurred next left Fin speechless.

“The s-sun?!” Her eyes turned toward the sky.

It was clearly around noon—right when sunlight should have been strongest—but the heavens began darkening instead.

The sun disappeared as darkness spread across their surroundings.

Neither nightfall nor a solar eclipse could explain this; an impenetrable gloom blanketed the world.

Louis couldn’t help but groan at what was happening before his very eyes.

He knew all too well what it meant for such phenomena to occur:

“Spiritualization…”

Spiritualization. The ability granted upon reaching the ZERO realm through relentless cultivation of one’s innate attribute—an attribute half-god in nature.

It was a legendary realm where one could become an elemental spirit, able to interfere with the laws of nature and manipulate mana itself. Louis couldn’t help but marvel at this newfound power as he witnessed it for the first time.

This is truly the domain of ZERO…

He had thought he caught a glimpse of this realm when observing the Hero King’s swordplay on the Winter Continent. But that was a misjudgment. The long-deceased Hero King couldn’t possibly have fully demonstrated his peak abilities.

If the Hero King had been in his prime back then…

Louis and his twin would never have survived. The swordplay they saw might not have even represented one-tenth, or perhaps not even one-hundredth, of the Hero King’s true prowess.

Now Genelocer was personally showing them what such power looked like.

Louis focused his gaze forward.

Keiaaagh!

In the pitch-black darkness, a monstrous creature leading an army of monsters let out a shrill cry—full of bewilderment. The beast that had exuded endless confidence before the young dragon now trembled with fear. Its four eyes scanned the area uneasily, but Genelocer remained nowhere in sight.

Suddenly, a low voice emerged from the shadows:

As each syllable left Genelocer’s mouth, it caused ripples in the surrounding darkness.

With these final words, the darkness enveloping the world began to swallow up the Monarch of the Abyss.

Kieeeaaah.

The monarch thrashed about desperately trying to escape the encroaching gloom, but there was no fleeing once night had fully fallen.

The darkness descending upon the world invaded the Monarch of the Abyss’s body like spreading ink.

Slowly yet not sluggishly.

Skreeee!

What terror must it be to feel consumed by darkness?

As his entire body turned pitch-black, leaving only four eyes visible,

a voice wrung out from the depths of the monarch:

“P-please spare me…”

Before he could finish begging for mercy, the darkness swallowed up even those remaining eyes.

Silence followed their disappearance.

The monstrous roars that had once echoed from all directions ceased completely; not a single sound remained.

After a brief moment,

the darkness receded as sunlight gradually seeped back in. The scattered fragments of darkness gathered together at one point in mid-air, coalescing into a distinct form.

As the massive form coalesced into Genelocer’s familiar shape, light flooded back into the world once more. The lone figure of the pitch-black dragon stood out against the horizon. Beneath his feet lay only emptiness where darkness had been banished.

Thousands upon thousands of monsters slain by Louis and his twin brother—corpses that had littered the land alongside countless living creatures—had all vanished without a trace. Even the Monarch of the Abyss who led them was gone.

Darkness had wiped away everything threatening Louis.

“Oh…” He couldn’t help but marvel at what he’d just witnessed. Today, for the first time, Louis saw the true extent of tier zero’s terrifying power—a new frontier opened up before him.

One day… I’ll reach those heights as well.

Even though it was an unattainable realm for ordinary people, Louis believed he could reach such heights as well. The only issue was time.

Quickly… I must become like that quickly!

The sight of his long-lost father, who had always been a workaholic, ignited a new goal within Louis. As his determination blazed to life…

Fwump, fwump.

Genelocer descended with forceful wingbeats and swiftly charged towards Louis.

“Ahhhhh!” All traces of his majestic demeanor while battling enemies vanished; once again, he transformed into the overprotective dad. His expression looked teary as he rushed towards his son, reflecting how deeply shocked he’d been by Louis’s disappearance.

He thought his Dragon Heart would stop beating when he witnessed this life-threatening scene. His anger flared up from within him as he grabbed Louis by the forehead.

Crack.

“Ouch!”

Louis clutched at his head where Genelocer had gripped it. He looked at Genelocer with startled eyes.

“You little brat! Do you know how much you frightened your dad?!”

At Genelocer’s shout, the twins spread out their arms protectively in front of Louis.

“No hitting Louis, mister!”

“It wasn’t Louis’s fault!”

Genelocer glared at them furiously. “Khan, Kani! You’re just as bad! I’ll hear all about this later when your father comes home!”

The twins lowered their protective arms at his thunderous voice. Then they slowly turned away, unable to meet anyone’s gaze.

”…Louis, didn’t you used to say that kids need discipline to grow up properly?”

“You’re right. If they do wrong, they should be punished.”

As the twins slowly retreated behind him, as if passing the buck, Louis clicked his tongue.

I guess they were right about not trying to tame silver-haired reptiles…

Shivering with cold at this betrayal, which made their shared time together seem like a cruel trick of fate, Louis felt a lump rise in his throat.

Damn it all!

The only things he’d done wrong were enduring the damn fate that tormented him and taking down two ungrateful silver-haired reptiles.

What have I done wrong?!

For the first time in his life, having been hit by Genelocer, Louis tried to justify himself.

Then Genelocer’s eyes came into view. Rather than anger, they were filled with concern. The moment he saw this, all the elaborate excuses Louis had been formulating quickly vanished from his mind. Instead, only three simple words emerged from his mouth:

“I’m sorry…”

At these quiet words of apology, tension drained from Genelocer’s gaze. He looked past Louis at the sleeping white dragon encased within crystal.

“Valentina…” Cracks marred the crystal that protected her postpartum slumber. Had it shattered, those two hundred fifty years would have been wasted. As Genelocer reached out, darkness spread forth and enveloped the crystal.

This should protect her adequately until proper measures could be taken. Having administered first aid, Genelocer turned to Louis with a question.

“You were trying to protect your mother, weren’t you?”

“Yes…” Louis nodded affirmatively.

In response, Genelocer smiled warmly and stroked his son’s hair.

“Well done.”

Louis mirrored his father’s smile at this praise and affection. Their brief reunion concluded on that note.

“By the way, how did you end up here?” asked Genelocer.

Louis sighed at this query.

Where do I even begin…?

There was so much he wanted to share with his father. However, there was something more pressing that needed attention first.

“I’ll tell you everything when we get home,” said Louis.

Louis’s fervent wish to return home was clear on his face. Seeing Louis so excited after all this time brought tears of laughter to Genelocer’s eyes. In a flash, he transformed into a dragon and stretched out his hand.

Come here.

The twins quickly climbed onto him with Louis. Once Louis sat down, one twin lay across his lap while the other rested against his side. Exhausted from the battle, they fell asleep almost instantly, their heads bobbing as if they were about to tip over at any moment.

As Louis stroked their hair, he turned to Genelocer. “Dad, is Mom going to be okay?”

“Don’t worry. The Silver Flower Castle will take care of everything soon.”

”…That’s a relief.”

“Well then! You should say goodbye to your mother now. We’ll see her again in good health later.”

At Genelocer’s words, Louis waved at Cris.

With that brief exchange between father and son complete, the black dragon began flapping its wings.

Whoosh, whoosh.

Its massive body swiftly cleaved through the air as the island that had been holding Louis and his twin shrank in the distance.

Louis watched with emotion-filled eyes before suddenly muttering:

“But how did you know we were here, Father?”

The answer came from beside him.

“I told him!”

“Fin? You did?”

“Yes!” Fin replied firmly, as if proud of her accomplishment. She then shared the conversation she’d had with Genelocer using the communication stones.

After recounting this, Fin hesitated briefly before addressing Louis again.

“Oh… umm, Sir Louis.”

“What is it?”

“If this was going to happen anyway… Wouldn’t it have been easier to just stay on the Winter Continent from the beginning and wait for Sir Genelocer’s message?”

“What?!” Fin’s question struck Louis like a bolt of lightning.

A resigned groan escaped his lips.

“Haaah…”

Until now, Louis had been consumed by one thought: get back to the Spring Continent at all costs. He’d believed this to be self-evident, and even moments ago, he still held that belief.

…I’ve been trying not to rely on my father.

Though he felt affection towards Genelocer as a son would, the intensity of their relationship in the original story left him uneasy. The title “Mad Dragon” preceding Genelocer’s name weighed heavily on his mind.

Moreover, there was the unsettling feeling that even his father might be influenced by the meddling fate that interfered at every turn. These factors likely contributed to Louis unconsciously distancing himself from Genelocer.

However, recent events had alleviated some of this anxiety.

Let’s trust and rely on him.

Regardless of what others said, Genelocer was still his father. With this thought, Louis felt considerably more at ease.

Crrrk-crrrk.

He looked down at the sleeping twins beside him before turning his gaze to Fin.

“Fin.”

“Yes?”

“This trip… haven’t you enjoyed it? I certainly have.”

It began as a forced journey due to destiny, filled with twists and turns, and numerous hardships. Yet, reflecting on everything they experienced over these past four years and all the connections they made along the way—it was clear that every moment had been an enjoyable memory.

And I’ve gained so much along the way.

Whether it was material possessions or personal growth on both internal and external levels, this journey had been quite enjoyable despite its rocky start.

Seeing Louis’s beaming smile brought a grin to Fin as she nodded in agreement.

“Yes! It certainly has been fun for me too.”

With Fin’s cheerful response, Louis looked ahead once more. The wind tousled his white hair as he gazed upon the lush green mountains that filled their view after months of travel. He exclaimed with great joy:

“We’re home!”

His shout signaled the end of their delightful adventure but also marked the beginning of a new future.